Rune Mates : Forever
by Destiny Goddess - on hiatus
Summary: Kagome' Inuyasha screamed, running toward the broken figure on the wet asphalt. He hadn't seen her for so long. Was he to be parted from her yet again - After collecting all the jewel shards, Kagome is sent back to her own time - and there's no returning
1. The Beginning of the Rest of It

Yay! New story! It's not gonna be completely correct to the series, but hey.. I've only seen up to episode 22. I hope you enjoy it. It's hopefully gonna be good.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. (I wish I did though)  
  
---  


Chapter 1  
_The beginning of the rest of it_

  
  
"I can't believe that we actually did it!" Kagome exclaimed as Inuyasha held up the final jewel fragment, "I just didn't think we'd ever make it this far."  
"You aren't a person of much faith, are you?" Inuyasha asked her, "Ya know, I believed we'd make it all along."  
"Getting too big for your britches, huh?"  
"What are you saying?"  
"It doesn't matter. You wouldn't understand anyway."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Miroku shook his head; "They can't even get along after this much time together."  
"Yeah, I know," Shippo sighed, "Not even several hours after we found the last jewel fragment, and they're already at it."  


* * *

  
The starlight glinted off the many sides of the fragment as Kagome held it up, preparing to put it with the rest of the jewel. Inuyasha stood beside her with the jewel in his hand.  
"Ready?" He asked her, holding the jewel out.  
"You bet!" Kagome responded, sliding the jewel fragment into its place.  
They all held their breath, not knowing what to expect. As soon as the two pieces of the Shikon Jewel touched, a brilliant light shot out of it, engulfing Inuyasha and Kagome.  
"What the-?" Miroku jumped to his feet, staff in hand. He began to run towards the ball of light, but Kaede grabbed him just before he touched it.  
"Stop, Miroku!" She cried, "Ye do not know what ye may find in there!"  
"But-" Miroku stopped, "I guess you're right."  
  
Kagome opened her eyes slowly. All she could see was a pale pinkish light that surrounded her. She could no longer feel the jewel in her hand. Suddenly, a burst of pain shot up her arm. Fire seemed to fill her veins. She screamed, and the light went out.  
  
Inuyasha opened his eyes, to see what had happened, but nothing but pinkish light surrounded him. He couldn't move his head to look around, but he somehow knew that he wouldn't find anything new. He couldn't feel the Shikon Jewel anymore, and he couldn't pick up Kagome's scent. Suddenly, pain shot through his hand and fire coursed through his veins. Then he felt the jewel again, cold and hard in his palm. The light went out and he fell to the ground.  


* * *

  
Kagome opened her eyes to her own bedroom at home. Moonlight lit up the small room and she wondered whether it had all been a dream. Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, Kaede, Sango. Were they all just figments of her imagination? No. They couldn't be. They had been real. But why was she back here? The last thing she remembered, she had been putting the last pieces of the Shikon Jewel together. She'd think about it in the morning. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. She rolled over and fell asleep right away.  
  
"Inuyasha. Wake up. Inuyasha!" Miroku called, prodding the motionless half-demon with his staff.  
"Go 'way. I don't wanna get up. It's the middle of the night," Inuyasha mumbled.  
"WAKE UP YOU STUPID CREATURE!" Miroku yelled.  
"Okay, okay. I'm awake," Inuyasha sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Where's Kagome?" He asked, yawning. Then he remembered something, "Where's the jewel?"  
"Uh, well, uh," Miroku stammered, "Kagome's gone. Vanished. After you two put the jewel together and the light faded, she was gone, and you were unconscious."  
"WHAT?" Inuyasha leapt to his feet and promptly crashed into the wall of the hut.  
"You should get some more rest. We'll look for her in the morning," Miroku smiled and walked out of the door. He slid it shut and Inuyasha felt the magic of a sealing scroll on the door.  
"Damn you, Miroku!" He yelled. Then he yawned. Sleep got the better of him and he drifted off in a matter of minutes.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Kagome

Yay! New chapter! Sorry that it's so short, but I couldn't think of anything more to put in, and besides, the next chapter deals with a totally different subject. No combining this time.  
---  
  


Chapter 2

  


_Kagome_

  
  


Kagome woke up suddenly. Glancing at the clock, she found that it was only 2 am. Glancing at her calendar, she found that it was a Monday morning. _Why am I here?_ She asked herself, _Shouldn't I be back in feudal Japan?_

  


Then she remembered. There had been a bright light, emitted by the jewel. Pain. She pushed herself up with one hand, then fell back, stifling a cry. _Pain._ She looked at her hand and found that it was covered with burn marks. Upon first glance, it appeared only a random configuration. However, when she examined it more closely, there almost appeared to be a word written. Eternity._ What's with this?_ She asked silently.

  


Well, for one thing, it meant that she couldn't have dreamed the whole thing up. The evidence stood against that. Then, why was she back here? Did it mean that her quest was done and that she could never go back? She probably couldn't anyway, seeing as she didn't have the jewel._ I never got the chance to say goodbye to Inuyasha,_ She thought sadly,_ and I was never able to say 'I love you'. Wow, I can't believe I just admitted that._

  


"Damn it! What's wrong with me?" She screamed aloud. She bit her lip as she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Her mother opened the door slightly.

  


"Kagome? When did you get back?"

  


"I... er, not that long ago," Kagome stuttered.

  


"Well, then can you please be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep."

  


"Sorry, mom."

  


Her mother slipped away, closing the door gently behind her. Kagome watched the door for awhile and then curled into a ball._ I wanna go to sleep. When I wake up, it'll be just the way it was before I ever went through the well. I'll just forget about Inuyasha and all the rest of them. Yeah, I'll be fine._ She lay back in her bed, but somehow, sleep wouldn't come._ I'll go down to the well and see if I can't go back._

  


She slipped out of bed and crept silently down the stairs. When she reached the well, she gasped. Somehow, the well had filled with water. _Water? This well has never held any water. I guess this means... this means I can't go back. _She bit back tears and went back to bed. In spite of herself, she fell asleep right away.

  
* * * 

Kagome awoke in the morning with the sun streaming in her windows. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the clock. It read 11:30 in big green digits. She stared at it for several minutes before the actuality of it sunk in. She leapt out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. Running out of her room, she grabbed her school bag.

  


"Bye! I'm going to school now!" She called, pulling on her shoes.

  


"Kagome!" Her mother called after her, "Wait a minute! You just got home!"

  


"Sorry Mom!" Kagome ran out the door, slamming it behind her.

  


She slowed to a walk several blocks later._ I didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm so tired. Oh well, gotta keep going._

  


* * *

  
  


Kagome reached the school awhile later. Her class was outside for gym, so she quickly found the teacher.

  


"Sorry I'm late," she apologized with a deep bow.

  


"It's okay, Kagome," the teacher replied, "Your mother called and said you might not be in today. Are you sure you're okay to come?"

  


"Yeah, I'm fine," She sighed inwardly. As class was nearly over, she didn't bother changing, but instead sat on the bench. She leaned against the wall, staring up at the sky. Suddenly, a face came into her vision. She sat up with a start, nearly knocking Hojo over.

  


"H - hi Hojo," she took a deep breath to recover from the shock.

  


She and Hojo had been going pretty much steady for a few months. Well, in the time that Kagome was in the current era. She felt a painful jerk at her heart when she thought about it.

  


"Glad you're back, Kagome," He said, smiling at her.

  


"Yeah, me too."

  


_Not really._ She thought, and Inuyasha's face swam in her mind. _Inuyasha..._

  


"Do - D'you think you'd be okay to go on a date Saturday night?" Hojo asked, jerking her out of memory.

  


"Yeah. Sure," At least now, she could be a normal teenage girl.

  


"That's great," but he paused, "Are you sure you'll be there? I mean, you always have things to do."

  


"That's all over now. I'm done what I have to do," Kagome said, biting back the wobble in her voice.

  


"Okay then. I'll pick you up Saturday night at 7pm."

  


"Okay, sounds good."

  


Hojo walked away, back to his game, leaving Kagome sitting all alone.

  


_But he - he. No. Inuyasha isn't going to be coming this time. If the well is filled with water, Inuyasha can never come to get me._ A single tear ran down her face and dropped to the ground, leaving a small dot in the dirt that quickly faded to nothing.

  
  
---  
The next chapter may take awhile to get to the net because of all the holiday confusion, but that's okay. Right? 


	3. Inuyasha

New Chapter! Sappiness oozing out of my ears here, but _I_ like it... And please understand that the interval in the middle was sugar induced and I thought it was funny so I kept it.. anyways, read, enjoy, and review!!!!!  


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**Chapter 3**  
_Inuyasha_

"I'm going back to get her," Inuyasha said suddenly, startling Miroku out of his meditative trance.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked his hanyou friend.

"Whadda ya mean by that?"

"I mean that if the jewel separated you two, maybe there's a reason. Maybe this whole thing is over, and life will go on."

"But-"

"And why do you want to bring her back anyway? You two are always at it. Besides, you said before you wanted to keep her safe. She's safer there than anywhere, and you know it."

Inuyasha didn't feel like giving an answer, so instead, he got up and made in the direction of the well, clutching the jewel that hung around his neck tightly in one hand.

_Why do I want to bring her back? It's not like I like her or anything._

He reached the well and his eyes widened in shock. The well was filled to the brim with water. No. It couldn't be. He rubbed his eyes, almost believing that this was a dream, but the water remained. Well, it might still be passable... He took a deep breath and plunged into the water, clutching the jewel. He pushed himself towards the bottom, almost believing that it would work. His feet touched the bottom without any effect. Eyes burning, he pushed back up to the surface.

---

"Why the hell did he do that?" Sango asked Miroku as they watched from the forest.

"Isn't it obvious?" Miroku replied, "He doesn't want to admit it, but he's hopelessly in love with Kagome. He thinks that by doing that, it might work."

"Hmph," Sango said, then narrowed her eyes at Miroku.

"OW! What did you do that for?" Miroku yelled, rubbing the red spot on his face where Sango's hand had, once again, come in contact with his face.

"Why don't you keep your hands to yourself?" She glared at him.

"Just admit it," he smirked, "you like me too."

"I do not!" She exclaimed, turning away to hide her red cheeks, "Oh look, he's come back up."

Sango pointed to the well, where a very wet and breathless Inuyasha had just appeared.

"Any luck?" She asked him.

The only reply was a low growl as Inuyasha vaulted out of the well and disappeared into the forest.

"I'm assuming that meant no," Miroku said. "Do you think we should follow him?"

"No," Sango replied, "I think he just needs a little time to himself. After all, if he is in love with Kagome, and he just found out that he might never see her again, he's probably pretty depressed."

"You're right, as usual," Miroku said sullenly, "but I'm really worried about him. Ever since Kagome's been gone, he hasn't been eating, he doesn't want to do anything, he just isn't himself."

"You, worried about someone? That's a laugh."

"Seriously, Sango. If he doesn't snap out of this soon, some demon will come to get the jewel and he'll be a goner because he doesn't feel like fighting."

"Yeah... I just hope Kagome's alright with this as well."

---

_Kagome, where are you? And why the hell do I care so much?_ Inuyasha sat in the tree where Kagome had found him for the first time. He stared into the forest, almost believing that if he waited long enough, he'd see Kagome come out of the trees, riding that contraption that she called a bicycle. He felt wetness on his cheek and raised a hand. _Tears? I haven't cried since I was a small child. It must just be from the wind, or something._ There was no wind. It was a weak excuse, but it worked for him. He clenched his fists and suddenly gave a cry of pain. He hadn't felt pain in his hands before. Not since - since Kagome had vanished.

He looked at his palm and was surprised to see that it was covered in burns. The marks had a strange look to them, an almost organized look, but he couldn't find the pattern, no matter how hard he tried.

"They're just burns," he said spitefully. "Why would they have to have a pattern?"

But a little voice in the back of his head whispered, _Kagome would know._

"Shut up!" He screamed at himself, "I Don't Love Kagome!"

******  
INTERVAL  
  
From somewhere that I do not know how to locate:  
**Sesshoumaru:** I bet you ten bucks that Destiny Goddess finds a way to make them kiss before the end of this.  
**Naraku:** You're on!  
  
END INTERVAL  
******

Suddenly, a scream pierced through the forest. Inuyasha sat bolt upright and turned toward the village. A plume of smoke drifted up from it, and the scent of human blood was heavy in the air.

"Damnit." Inuyasha stood up and began running over the treetops towards the village. "There must be a demon there who is looking for the jewel."

He reached the village a little while later, but there was no sign of any demon. Bodies lay in between the huts, blood pooled beneath them. There were no signs of life anywhere.

"Miroku! Sango! Shippo!" He called, but no one answered. Suddenly, he heard a small whining noise. He walked cautiously toward the sound. As he entered the hut where they had all slept, he saw Kirara huddled in one corner. One of her eyes was half closed and one hind leg stuck out at an odd angle. He walked over to her and reached a hand out. The demon snapped at it and growled, trying to jump to her feet. She fell over, and the anger and fear subsided.

"Kirara," Inuyasha spoke softly, so as not to scare her again, "Kirara, where are Miroku and Sango?"

Kirara attempted to struggle to her feet again. Inuyasha put out his hands tentatively, but when she made no move to attack him, he picked her up gently and carried her outside.

"Where are they?"

The only answer was a wistful look towards the distant mountains, just barely visible above the horizon. Inuyasha drooped. It would take weeks, maybe months to get there, and then even longer to find Miroku, Sango and Shippo. They could be dead already.

"We have to go," he said aloud, looking at Kirara, "But first, let's see what we can do to make you feel better."

---

Several days passed, and Inuyasha and Kirara sat in solitude in the tiny, deserted village. Eventually, Kirara got her strength back and was able to stand by herself and even transform into her larger form.

One day, Inuyasha woke up to see Kirara standing at the door. She had dragged all of Inuyasha's belongings to the entrance and was looking forlornly at the mountains.

"So you wanna go now, do you?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "Alright then, but we hafta walk. I don't think you're strong enough to fly yet."

He spent several hours paying respects to the dead villagers. He went to the tree where Kagome had found him and cut a strip of its bark off.

"I might never see this place again," was what he told Kirara, but in his mind were the words, _I just can't let go of Kagome._

He finally returned to the hut and, satisfied that he had everything, prepared to leave. As he reached the door, however, he paused and looked over his shoulder. He saw Kagome's bow and quiver of arrows in the corner. Several moments passed, stretched over eternity, before he walked back and picked up the weapons. He opened his mouth to explain to the demon that waited for him outside the door, but Kirara fixed him with a look that said, _I know what you're feeling. My best friend is gone too._

And with that, they turned their backs on the village where Inuyasha had lived almost all of his life, and where Kirara had spent almost the past year of hers. Inuyasha looked back briefly, brushing away tears _(It's just the wind)_ before moving on towards a hope of finding Miroku, Sango and Shippo.

---

You like? I hope you do... and the adventure begins... 


	4. The Way it Used to Be

Here's chapter 4. I know it took a long time, and once again, school gets in the way of creative genius. 

~*~K&I~*~  


_The way it used to be_

She stirred her drink with her straw, watching the ice cubes go round and round. She hadn't drunk anything, so the iced tea, which used to be a dark brownish gold colour, had turned a pale brown and the ice cubes were almost gone. In the whole two hours they had been here, Kagome hadn't listened to much that Hojo had said. She had tried to focus, but then her mind would slip to a place and time so far away, and a half demon with long, silver hair and ears like a dog...

"Oh - Huh?" Kagome realized that Hojo had asked her a question.

"Are you okay?" He looked concernedly at her from across the table.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm a little spaced out right now."

"Kagome, I think there's something you're not telling me."

"Wha- what do you mean? I'm not hiding anything!" She pushed her chair back and stood up.

"You were always running out on me. You can't seem to pay attention. Something's going on. Are you sick again?" 

Kagome could have bashed her head against a wall right now, but instead she coolly told Hojo that she wasn't sick, that she just had a lot to think about.

"I'm sorry, Hojo, I promise that it'll be different now. I'm done everything I needed to do, so I can focus on - on life now." She emphasized the 'now', as if trying to remind herself that Inuyasha was back in the feudal era, and this was, well, the now era.

Hojo glanced at his watch, nodding and then leapt to his feet. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but I promised my mother I'd be home by 5:30, and it's twenty after."

He ran out the door, leaving Kagome staring forlornly out the window. Raindrops began to splatter the glass and trailed down, down, down to where they broke on the windowsill. Tears began to roll down Kagome's cheeks as a single name trailed through her head, and thoughts of a time and place beyond the well where she had fallen in love with a half demon named... Inuyasha...

~*~

Kagome's mother found her in the well house, trailing her fingers in the water, her hair hanging in wet strings down her back from the rain. Tears rolled down her cheeks, falling into the well, making ripples on the surface.

She looked up as her mother knelt down beside her. Gentle arms slipped around her shoulders and softly rocked her.

"Mom..." Kagome buried her face in her mother's shoulder and sobbed.

"It's okay," it was all Mrs. Higurashi dared to say because she knew that it couldn't be okay, and if it could, she didn't know how to make it thus.

Kagome pulled away from her mother and stood up.

"Yes. It is. And if it is not, I will make it okay," she said it in a strangely calm voice that almost scared her mother.

Kagome smiled a soft, calm smile and stood at the doorway of the well house, staring out into the rain.

"How will you make it alright?" her mother asked her, pushing herself up from the floor.

Kagome only sighed and said, simply, "Everything will go back to the way it was before."

"Before what?"

"Before I met him. Before I fell down that bloody well. I will forget him and move on. I have a life here and now, and that's all that matters." She stepped out into the rain and walked steadily toward the house, holding herself tall and straight. However, her mother sensed that not everything was going to change that easily. Eleven months is a long time to erase...

~*~

Kagome finished blow-drying her hair and fell backward into bed, rejoicing at the softness of her mattress. Involuntarily, her mind jumped back to days of sleeping on a mat on the floor of a wooden hut. She shook her head and sat up again. Looking around her room, she saw all the photos she had taken of the group the times she had taken her camera to the feudal era. She got up and began pulling the pictures off her walls. She grabbed an empty box that was lying beside her desk and began stuffing the pictures into it. When her room was bare of reminders of Inuyasha's time, she pushed the box under her bed with a label, 'Not to be opened until necessity indicates is ABSOLUTELY needed'. The walls seemed so bare without the pictures, so Kagome hunted through desk drawers until she came upon an envelope of pictures of her and her school friends, of her and Hojo, of her and her family. She took these and pinned them all over her walls, not stopping until all the pictures were up and covering the spaces where the other photos had been. And that was that.

As she lay in her room that night, she couldn't sleep. All she could think about was the box under her bed that contained all the pictures of everyone. She slipped out of bed and pulled it out. Looking through it one last time, she came across one picture that had always been her favorite. It was of her and Inuyasha. Inuyasha was actually smiling and it seemed to be real. Kagome was behind him, her arms around his neck and had her chin rested on his shoulder. She smiled and slid it into her purse. After all, it's not so bad to keep at least a reminder. The rest of the pictures, she put back in the box.

She crept down the stairs with the box under her arm. It was drizzling out still, so she grabbed her jacket before heading outside. The well house doors were slippery, so it took her awhile to open them.

The water in the well was shiny in the darkness and it beckoned to her. Jump in, just come to me and accept that you can't live like this. She resisted and instead, set the box by the well and walked out again, locking the doors.

I will never go there again. I don't have to. It'll all go back to the way it was before. They're all better off without me anyway. She stood in the yard for a long time, letting the rain drown her depression. A wind began to blow, howling a melancholy tune through the chinks in the well house.

Kagome smiled and began to walk toward the house. Her feet squished in the mud and her hair stuck to her face and shoulders in wet strings. She pulled the door open and stepped inside, dripping on the mat. She pulled off her jacket and shoes and walked up the stairs ponderously.

When she reached her room, she pulled off her wet clothes and wrung out her wet hair. She slipped into a fresh pair of pajamas and lay down on her bed.

It's back to the way it was before, she thought, trying to make the tone happy in her mind, but failing and ending up with a melancholy one. She curled up, encircling her knees with her arms and putting her chin between them. This had been meant to make her feel better, but it didn't seem to have worked. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, but not before demons and slayers, monks, and hanyou ran through her head.

~*~

She awoke feeling refreshed... at ten after eight.

"Damnit! I'm late!" she shrieked, running downstairs, pulling her socks on as she went. "Mom, why didn't you wake me up?"

"Well, considering you were so depressed last night, and were up for most of it, I thought you might need some sleep."

"You know about that, huh."

"I heard you come in and saw you walking up the stairs. I cleaned your other pajamas for you. They had mud on them."

"Thanks, but I have to go now," she grabbed her lunch and raced out the door.

She arrived at school about half way through first period. As she entered, she heard people whispering. Why is she always so late? She's never here. She should just start the year again.

She sighed and walked to her seat, trying not to disrupt the lesson.

"Kagome," the teacher turned around to face her, "I can't tolerate you being late all the time."

"I'm sorry," she stood up and bowed, "It - it won't happen again."

"If I had one yen for every time I heard that..." the teacher turned back to the board and continued teaching.

Kagome opened her books, found she couldn't concentrate, and turned her attention to doodling on her paper. Flowers, leaves, little doggy ears...

~*~K&I~*~

  
I'm sorry it was so short, but I couldn't think of anything else to write, and I thought it was a suitable chapter ending. Please review, and I'll have chapter 5 up in the next few months... 


	5. No One To Talk To

**It's finally here and I personally think it's worth the wait... I'm proud of myself. It's three and a half pages long in Word, rather than two or two and a half... longest chapter in Rune Mates!!!! Woot... So please read and review!**  
  


**I&K**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 5

__

_No one to talk to_

Inuyasha hadn't had a good night's sleep since Kagome had disappeared. In fact, he hadn't slept at all. Now, he leaned on Kirara beside a small fire, staring up into the vast heavens above. He tried to look for familiar constellations, but all he saw was Kagome. He finally closed his eyes and tried to settle into a comfortable position. He drifted off to sleep, but only for a short while, as dreams of Kagome filled his head. He couldn't figure out what to do to get rid of the pictures. He had tried everything, except throwing away Kagome's bow and arrows, but that was something he just couldn't bring himself to do. He had tried, but to no avail. Something held him back, some unexplainable force of nature that just wouldn't let him forget Kagome. He couldn't live without something of hers, but every time he looked at the bow, there was a sharp pain in his heart that wouldn't go away until he stopped looking at it.

Kirara shifted slightly beneath him and Inuyasha realized that he was suddenly very sleepy. For the first time in a week or so, his eyes closed and his mind drifted into never land. Dreams filled his sleeping mind with memories of Kagome, both good and bad, reassuring and painful.

When he awoke, he felt refreshed and ready for a new day. Well, technically, the day started badly. He woke up when his head hit the ground, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of huge orange ones staring curiously back. He had screamed in a most non-demon-like manner and scuttled backward, only to find that it was just Kirara. Then, when he went to pack up everything, he had found that much of the stuff he had packed was missing - including the bow and arrows of Kagome's that he had kept. So, if he had been able to focus on something other than that, he would have felt refreshed and ready for a new day.

Now, he sat dejectedly against a tree, staring forlornly up into the sky. Why did it have to be now, the time when he most needed someone to talk to, that no one was there? Well, there was Kirara, but she couldn't say anything back, and Inuyasha wasn't totally sure if she would even understand the whole problem that was on his mind.

Kirara watched from a distance, afraid to approach, lest he scream and run away again. She lay down and put her head on her paws and wrapped her tail around the few things that they had left. She almost wished that he would just say something. What he didn't seem to get was that she felt probably just the same way he did. They had both lost someone that meant a lot, and they were both on the same quest. She whined until he looked over at her. Finally, after he stared at her for awhile, he got up off the ground and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she sensed great sadness in his voice, "Let's go."

Inuyasha picked up what little was left of their supplies and scratched behind Kirara's ears. The fox demon (AN: am I right? E-mail me if I'm not) stood up and waited expectantly. When Inuyasha looked at her in confusion, she turned her head to look briefly behind her.

"You want me to ride?"

Kirara growled in assent. Inuyasha stood there for awhile, lost in thought until she walked back and pushed him gently with her nose. He stumbled forward and blinked rapidly, shaking his head as if to clear it. Then, he seemed to get his bearings and climbed onto Kirara's back. Regularly, he would have refused, considering he could run as fast as Kirara flew, and he had dignity to keep, but he was too tired to get anywhere at all, much less fast, by himself. He settled himself onto the large feline's back and leaned forward until his cheek touched the soft white fur. He was so tired. He smiled gently as he fell asleep, feeling the fur tickle his nose as Kirara leapt into the air and the wind blew it awry.

When he awoke, they were flying over a set of fields. Not like that was unusual, but these were completely brown, with not a glimpse of the green that was usual for this time of year.

"Kirara," he said, sitting up straight, "let's go down and see what's going on."

The demon made a noise that sounded like assent, and they began to descend toward the brown fields. Fighting off sleep, Inuyasha called upon his demon senses to find the demon he figured was responsible for the damage. There was no demon. There wasn't any scent of life either, just dead, rotting flesh. He shuddered, hating the smell of human death. He shoved away the feeling that his flesh was crawling and focussed on the task at hand as Kirara's paws contacted the ground. He slid off her back and looked around.

The place absolutely reeked of blood and death, making Inuyasha gag as his oversensitive nose took in the odors. He began walking into the village, shuddering as the scent of demon mingled with the rest. Searching the place with his eyes, he saw that almost everything was covered in blood. Bones lay here and there, and what looked like human bodies ripped into almost unrecognizable shreds were spread over the entire place.

_What kind of sick demon did this?_ He thought, trying to block the memory of the dozens of men he had killed when transformed into a full demon. As he walked further, the scent of demon and rotting flesh intensified until he could hardly take one step without gagging. The smell seemed to have the same effect on Kirara, who whimpered as they went on. However, no matter how strong the scent, or however far they walked, there was no sign that a demon was even present.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake right beneath where Inuyasha stood. He jumped away just in time as something shot up from under the dirt. Bracing himself, he looked up into the bloodshot eyes of a humanoid demon. Frowning, he stepped back. Right now, he didn't have the heart to attack anything that resembled a human. The demon didn't have second thoughts about attacking him, however, so Inuyasha was sent sprawling across the ground, blood trickling down his face from a cut on his face where the demon had hit him. He spat as dust filled his mouth and rolled away just as the demon attacked again. Wiping his mouth off, he pulled Tessaiga out of its sheath. To his dismay, it didn't transform as he swept it in an arc toward his enemy.

Tossing his useless sword away, Inuyasha leapt toward the grinning demon, unleashing his iron reaver attack toward his adversary. The attack hit, but didn't have too much effect, making only minor scratches in the creature's skin. Inuyasha backed up from the demon, blinking as blood dripped into his eyes from his wound. He saw the demon rushing toward him, but couldn't get his arms to work properly. He felt fire pumping through his veins, but it paralyzed him for the moment. Suddenly, something jumped between him and the oncoming attack. It took only a few moments to process that the thing was Kirara, who was sent flying back into Inuyasha, transforming into a small kitten as she contacted the hanyou.

Inuyasha wiped the blood from his eyes and looked at the small demon that lay motionless at his feet. Blood matted the tiny creature's fur and its eyes gazed imploringly at him. Staring down at the only friend he had right then, something snapped, and there was nothing to hold back the demon inside him. Just as he lost touch with his human side, he realized that Kagome wasn't here to save him this time.

Kirara opened her eyes weakly to see Inuyasha attack the demon, destroying it as soon as the attack connected with its body. Inuyasha turned slightly, so she could just see his face, and his red eyes and the stripes on the sides of his face revealed that he had taken his full demon form. Demon Inuyasha smirked down at the battered body of his demon adversary. He laughed as he watched the dark blood soak through the ground and pool beneath the demon. As he turned further towards Kirara, the fox demon backed away, hindered by her wounds, and cowered beneath him. Inuyasha flexed his claws to attack...

Suddenly, an image of Kagome flashed through Inuyasha's mind. He watched her, seeing her face contort in anger, and her lips shaped into a single word - SIT. The word echoed through his head, and a mere moment later, he opened his eyes and found he was lying sprawled across the ground beside a bemused Kirara. He sat up and shook himself. Suddenly remembering the form of his salvation, he looked around frantically. Was Kagome here? When his eyes found no trace of her presence, he sighed and looked to find his opponent. He found a bloody humanoid body lying nearby in a pool of its own blood. Shuddering, he looked away and saw Tessaiga a little ways away, its point sticking into the ground. He walked over and picked it up, sliding it gently into its sheath. He couldn't remember what had happened, only that he had lost control of himself. Had he been a demon again? If he had, how did he come back? He remembered seeing Kagome in his head, and hearing her voice shout a sit command, but she wasn't here, and the last time he had turned full demon, the sit command hadn't worked. (AN: by the last time, I mean when he turns demon while fighting Sesshoumaru in episode forty or fifty something... considering I haven't seen much past that... Damn the lack of anime in Canada, much less Alberta...)

_Kagome,_ he sighed inwardly and walked over to Kirara. The demon was not injured too badly - the blood just made it look worse. However, it seemed Kirara would be out of commission for a little while. Carrying his small friend cradled in his arms, Inuyasha made his way to the edge of the town where a lone house still stood.

He stood framed in the doorway, the fading sunset sending shafts of golden light around his body as he leaned against the doorframe. His amber eyes wandered over the charred expanse of the village, without seeing it. Rather, he saw the village where Kikyo had lived, where they had first met, where the well lay through which Kagome had come from the future. And a thought slowly crept into his mind and with the last rays of the setting sun, he realized that he would never see it that way again, that he had no one right now to give him courage. No one to talk to.

**

* * *

**

**I&K**

  
  
**Please don't kill me if the next chapter isn't up within the next few months, because final exams are coming up, and considering they're provincial achievement... And my summer is going to be very full... but i'm trying!!! And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if ANYONE knows the names and descriptions of Kagome's friends, can they please email them to me as I need them for the next chapter!!!!**


	6. A Heart's Memory & New Beginnings

I'm SOOOO sorry I took this long to finish this chapter. I have no excuses, but I made it twelve and a half pages long this time instead of the usual five or six... Let's see... I haven't done a disclaimer in awhile, so here goes: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters/names in this story.  
Also, I'm gonna start doing thanks to reviewers (cuz they were so patiently waiting for me to finish):  
**Gwenivere420** - Thanks for the review... and for reminding me that I've really been slacking off lately > **Rya** - Thanks for giving me the names, I appreciate the help  
**KgR-R1/2IC-IyR** - Thanks for the review... I know who/what Kirara is, thanks...  
**elven-girl10** - So you did, and much thanks to that... I need more reviews (ie... pass on your luck to me)  
**anw** - Thanks for the encouragement. I don't plan on quitting anytime soon, in fact, I'm working on a novel right now... although, at only one chapter so far, it isn't going anywhere very fast... but I shouldn't waste space complaining...  
**Water-Goddess-Inu-Luver1** - Well, I'm updating... not 'soon', but I'm updating... although, if you think of this in the scope of the past fifteen years of my life, it is soon... (I don't have any excuses, can you tell?)

* * *

**Chapter 6**  
_A Heart's Memory New Beginnings_

Kagome awoke in the morning with a new hope for a new beginning. It made her sad, just for awhile, when she opened her eyes and saw not one picture reminiscent of the people she had met in the feudal era, but she shook the feeling off and began to get dressed.

Wandering over to the closet, she pulled out a uniform and was just about to slip the blouse over her head, when she saw the faint, just barely visible, pink stain that stretched over most of the white fabric. She stared at it for a moment, swallowing the lump that was rising painfully in her throat and choking back the tears that sprang to her eyes. Then, suddenly, she thrust the blouse into the far back of her closet and slumped against the wall, rubbing her burning eyes. _Why must everything bring back memories?_ she asked herself. _Why can't I just forget and move on? Why does my heart stop every time I remember even a little bit of the past?_

"Kagome!" Sota pounded on the door, calling his sister's name.

Kagome pulled her housecoat on hurriedly and opened the door. "What do you want, pest?" She demanded of the small figure standing in his pajamas, staring up at her.

"I think ya dropped this," he explained, holding out a small piece of paper. "I found it in the hallway as I was going to the washroom."

"Thanks," Kagome said, hesitantly taking the little slip of paper. Curiously, she flipped it over to reveal a picture of one of Inuyasha's ears. Her eyes widened and she flung the photo back at her brother, slamming the door in his face.

Sota stared at the closed door before him, blinking in surprise. "It's just a photo of Inuyasha," he mused confusedly as he raised an eyebrow at his sister's reaction and shuffled back the way he had come.

Kagome slumped against her door, wide-eyed, and slid to the ground, tears threatening to make an appearance again.

"Kagome!" her mother's voice floated up from the lower floor. "Kagome, hurry up or you'll be late for school!"

Kagome was glad her mother hadn't brought up the ominous word 'again' at the end of that sentence. She sighed and stood up, walking to her closet. She found that she had a clean uniform at the back and, pulling it out, she hurriedly put it on. She was only halfway into her right sock as she hopped down the stairs. Her left sock was on, but it wasn't quite straight. Her mother had breakfast waiting in the kitchen for her and she inhaled it in a record time of one minute and thirty-seven seconds. She looked at the clock and found that it was later than she had assumed. She ran out the door several minutes later, pulling her shoes on as she left.

The school bell rang just as Kagome got into class, red-faced and panting.

As she ran through the doorway, Eri and Yuka looked up from where they sat near the front of the classroom. Kagome slid into a desk next to Yuka, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What happened to you?" Yuka asked, turning towards Kagome and crossing her arms.

"I – lost – track – of – time," Kagome wheezed, still trying to get her breath back.

"You do that a lot lately," Eri remarked, unconvinced, looking at Kagome patronizingly and straightening her headband.

"Where's Ayumi?" Kagome asked, changing the subject and looking around for the fourth member of their group.

"She's sick today," Yuka told her, "but don't think you can change the subject that easily."

"Yeah," Eri jumped in. "What were you doing that made you lose track of time."

"N-nothing!" Kagome exclaimed, feeling her face flush.

Luck was with her however, as the teacher walked into the room and the class fell silent.

"Kagome," he said as he turned toward the class, "It's good to see that you are on time this morning." He had a wry look on his face as she turned bright red and nodded, feeling the eyes of the entire class on her.

The morning passed completely uneventfully with the usual boring lectures and assignments. As Kagome, Eri and Yuka walked out of class for lunch, all three were yawning widely.

"That was dismal," Yuka commented, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Let's talk about something interesting," Kagome began.

Yuka cut her off before she could continue. "I heard you had a date with Hojo last night. How did that go now that you don't keep 'forgetting' or coming up with something 'more important' to do?"

"It was okay," Kagome shrugged, "we just went to a movie and then out for ice cream. Is it supposed to be 'juicy' and 'exciting'?"

"Oh my Gawd," Eri rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you two haven't kissed yet. I mean, you've been going out for, what, four months now?"

"It's not that kind of relationship," Kagome said, waving her away as they sat down to eat.

"Then what kind of relationship is it?" Yuka asked her, unconvinced. "You can totally tell he wants to."

"Yeah, well, I don't."

"I thought you said you were over that other guy," Eri told her, leaning forward and peering at her with deep scrutiny.

"I am, it's just," Kagome paused and took a bite of food to get some time to think, "it's just that I'm not ready to go to that level yet."

"You are BORING, girl," Yuka shook her head and lay down on the ground. "If I had a boyfriend…" She trailed off with a sigh.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Yuka, if you had a boyfriend, the world would be in a state of chaos because the natural balance would be destroyed."

Yuka sat up and stuck her tongue out at her friend. Ripping up a handful of grass from beside her, she threw it defiantly at Kagome. "I'll get a boyfriend."

"Yeah, right."

"Now now, you two," Eri stepped in, giggling, "stop fighting."

Kagome and Yuka looked at Eri and then looked at each other.

"Let's get her," Kagome said.

"Yeah."

They launched themselves at Eri and soon all three of them lay in the grass, giggling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Kagome and she looked up, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that filtered around the shape above her.

"Hey Kagome," Hojo said, politely, as usual.

"Hi Hojo," Kagome replied half-heartedly, sitting up and turning around so she could see him.

"It's good to see that you were on time today."

Kagome's countenance fell and she turned red.

"So," he continued awkwardly, changing the subject, "do you want to go to a movie on Thursday with me?"

"It's not Thursday yet?" Kagome looked around blankly. "Why wasn't I informed?"

Yuka giggled. "Didn't you hear the announcement this morning? It was addressed specifically to you. Although," she added as an afterthought, "you were so zoned out that you wouldn't have heard someone shouting in your ear."

"Shut up, Yuka. Well – then – sure."

Hojo smiled. "Okay, see you later."

"Yeah, okay," Kagome smiled as brightly as she could and nodded, waving as Hojo walked away toward where his friends were waiting for him.

"You seem awkward around him," Eri said, turning to Kagome with a betrayed look on her face. "Don't tell me you're STILL not over that other guy. I mean, you've been going out with Hojo for, like, four, five months now. Doesn't he get a little lovin'?"

"I'm over it," Kagome snapped suddenly, her cheerful mask cracking just enough for some negative energy to escape.

"Oh, come on. You've been moping around ever since you started come to school full time," Yuka criticized. "And DON'T think we haven't noticed, Kagome," she added when Kagome opened her mouth to say something.

"I have not," Kagome told her friend, knowing full well that she had been moping.

"Kagome," Eri said, taking Kagome by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "you have to get over this guy. You and Hojo make a great couple and if this other guy is forcing himself out of your life, you've just got to accept that he doesn't deserve you."

"He didn't force himself out of my life," Kagome replied miserably, biting her tongue immediately. She'd walked into her friends' trap again.

"Oh?" Yuka suddenly got an interested look on her face. "Then what exactly happened? You obviously aren't together anymore because you wouldn't be this depressed if you were. Come on, Kagome, the guy's a stupid, insensitive, lame nutcase. You as much as said so yourself."

"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?" Kagome felt tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about Inuyasha. Shaking Eri's hands off her shoulders, she stood up angrily and stormed away.

Eri sighed and shook her head. "Poor girl's still has feelings for the jerkface," she said sadly.

Yuka nodded dismally. Suddenly, she looked at Eri mischievously. "Didn't she say something before about not being able to get in contact with him?"

Eri frowned in concentration and tugged thoughtfully on a strand of hair. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed, grinning. "Maybe we can work this to our advantage, huh?"

* * *

Kagome sat down angrily just out of sight of her friends. _I will get over Inuyasha,_ she told herself, _because I can't see him anymore and my friends all think I'm lame because I can't get over some guy who I've been badmouthing for the past few months._ She sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She had told herself that before, so many times, but she still couldn't find the right way to make it come true. People had often told her long-distance relationships never worked. She'd never believed them, and had often tried to reconcile her feelings for the egotistical half-demon through this simple statement. Now, however, it was over. It was over before anything had even begun, so why did she feel as though her heart was being wrenched out of her chest? She stared at the ground, watching the little ants scurry around her feet as they rushed to and fro, completely content at their work. Oh, to live a simple life. 

"There you are, Kagome," Eri poked her head around the corner and grinned. "We were just kidding. You didn't have to get so defensive."

"I know," Kagome said grudgingly, pushing aside her pride and acknowledging that everything was in her head, and no where else.

"Geez, girl," Yuka rounded the corner too and sat down beside her, "get a grip. Hojo likes you a lot. I thought you liked him back. Give him a try at least. That other guy, didn't you say you couldn't contact him anyway?"

Kagome nodded and sighed. "I can't contact him, and I know Hojo's a great guy. I'll try, I guess. You just don't understand the exact circumstances."

"We'd understood if you told us, Kagome," Yuka told her, fixing her with a pleading look.

"I can't tell you, that's the thing. And please don't ask why, because it's complicated and kinda personal."

Kagome needn't have worried because her friends were already off on a tangent.

"I bet he's with the Mafia."

"Yeah, or some gang."

"He's not with a gang!" Kagome exclaimed defensively. "He's just – he's just – he's not around…" she trailed off lamely, staring at the ground.

"Oh, come ON, Kagome," Eri told her, rolling her eyes. "Hojo's so much better for you. Plus, you're going on a date on Thursday. Focus on that."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Kagome smiled brightly and they started walking back toward the school, where the bell was preparing to ring, announcing the start of the afternoon.

The afternoon was just as uneventful as the morning had been, although it wasn't quite as boring. They had English, and one of the other girls mistranslated 'They are my friends' to 'that's my cheese'. Other than that, however, nothing happened of great notability.

* * *

Thursday came much too quickly for Kagome and she soon found herself staring into a mirror at someone who wasn't quite herself. She was wearing a dress and her hair was up. In other words, she felt like she didn't know this other her and consequently, felt quite insecure. Then, before she had time to rethink her hairstyle, she opened the door to find Hojo waiting on her doorstep with yet another medicinal gift. 

_I don't suppose he could have just brought flowers,_ Kagome sighed inwardly. But then again, Hojo bearing flowers seemed even more alien than Kagome with her hair up and wearing a fancy dress.

"You look beautiful," Hojo said kindly, albeit a bit awkwardly, as he took her hand.

"Th- thank you," Kagome replied, just as awkwardly.

"Oh," Kagome's mother said, coming around the corner. "Hello, Hojo. I suppose you two are leaving now, are you?"

"Yes," Kagome nodded, giving her best smile with the words of her friends in her mind.

"Well, have fun." Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Hojo asked, pulling her ever so slightly out the door.

"Sure," Kagome replied, not sure at all.

As they walked down the sidewalk toward the front gate, Hojo began talked in a rather rapid, nervous manner. Kagome unconsciously tuned him out for the first little bit, but then realized that sound actually was coming out of his mouth.

"…and then we could go out for dessert," he was saying. "So… how does that sound?"

"Er- ah – that is – what?" Kagome felt herself flush in embarrassment.

"We could go to a movie and then go get ice cream or something," Hojo repeated. "Are you okay?" he asked then, looking at her concernedly. "You seem a little distracted."

"N-no," Kagome stammered in reply, "it's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

When Kagome nodded, he smiled. "So I was thinking that there's that new movie…"

* * *

The movie wasn't bad, although Kagome thought that Hojo was finally getting up the courage to make his move because she did see the little motion his hand made toward hers. Luckily, the popcorn had distracted it long enough for Kagome to get her hand safely into her lap. As for the actual movie, it had been okay; its plot needed a little less melodramatics and cheesy computer generated effects. 

They were currently headed for an ice cream shop and Kagome couldn't help but glance at her watch and wince at the blatant evidence that they had officially spent enough time together to consider their outing a 'date'. The man in the moon laughed down at her and she found it impossible to resist the urge to stick her tongue out at it when Hojo wasn't looking.

"Kagome, this is the place," Hojo said suddenly beside her. He pushed open the shop's door and Kagome walked in first, before the little chime had finished ringing. She was starting to get impatient and wanted the date to finish soon.

Hojo nudged her gently up to the front counter and politely asked her what she wanted. She deliberated for several minutes before deciding on a chocolate fudge sundae. She suddenly had the feeling that her subconscious was whispering to her, 'if you eat fattening foods, you'll gain weight and Hojo won't like you anymore'. Somehow, she didn't have much trouble believing that that was, in fact, what she was thinking.

A little while later, she found herself sitting across from Hojo and poking at her sundae with a little plastic spoon. She was trying to distract herself from the rather dreamy look that had come into Hojo's eyes.

"Kagome," he said, and she felt his hand slip over top of hers. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks and her eyes darted frantically around. "Kagome," he said again, "I – I really like you, Kagome."

"Um," she said uncomfortably, "yeah. I like you too Hojo."

She accidentally made eye contact as she said this – most insincerely, mind you – and found that he was smiling at her in a sort of adoring manner.

"I- uh," she tried to pull away from him, knocking her sundae onto the floor with her other hand.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her, tightening his grip.

"I – I just remembered that I have to be home in ten minutes," she forced out, jerking her hand away from his and standing up.

"Ka-"

She didn't wait for him to finish and dashed from the restaurant, her eyes stinging and her hand still feeling disturbingly warm from Hojo's grasp.

Kagome didn't stop running until she reached the shrine – luckily only a few blocks away – and collapsed underneath the Goshinboku tree, tears starting to drip down her face and off her chin.

_Why am I behaving like this?_ she wondered silently. _I – I can't be with Inuyasha anymore and Hojo will be there for me. Why can't I just be happy with what I have?_

There was a rustle so soft that it could have been her imagination. She looked up and blinked away her tears. _Inuyasha?_ She moved her lips, but no sound came out. Then she realized that it was Souta who stood before her, and not the one whom she had wanted to see.

"What's wrong, sis?" Souta asked. "Aren't you s'posed to be on a date with that Hojo guy?"

She nodded sadly, and then, in a motion that surprised both brother and sister, she grabbed Souta in a hug and pulled him down, clinging to him and crying.

"Um, sis?" Souta asked tentatively as he felt a wet spot grow on his shoulder.

Finally, she let him go and he sat back, staring warily at her.

"Sorry," she said, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve to stem the flow of the tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Uh huh…" Souta began to back away slowly.

Kagome shook her head and pushed herself off the ground.

"Let's go inside," she said and began to walk toward the house.

Souta trailed dutifully behind her, sending a suspicious glance at the well just before he stepped in the door.

* * *

"Kagome!" Yuka ground out the next day when Kagome stepped in the classroom door. 

"Hi," replied Kagome, rather cautiously.

"How COULD you?" Ayumi wailed, as she and Eri attacked Kagome from both sides.

"How could I what? I don't understand," Kagome said, looking around wildly for an explanation.

"You," Eri replied in an accusatory tone, "ran out on Hojo again, didn't you?"

Kagome panicked for a moment. How could they have known?

"Hojo's face this morning told all," said Yuka.

"Okay, fine, I did," Kagome began. "I'm still trying to get all my feelings straight, okay?"

"Get them straight faster," Ayumi complained. "Eri and Yuka get annoying after awhile when they're mad."

She was silenced by a glare from the two girls mentioned.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"We know already, Kagome," Yuka told her irritably, sending her a variation of a death-glare. "Why don't you tell Hojo that? He really likes you, you know."

I really like you, Kagome; his words rang in her ears. "I know," she said in a small voice.

"Then GO," Ayumi urged her, pushing her gently toward the door where Hojo had just appeared.

And so, Kagome found herself stumbling forward to meet Hojo. He looked surprised as she approached him and forced herself to meet his eyes.

"H-hey, Hojo," she said nervously.

"Hi Kagome," he replied, and she sensed a nervous tension in his words.

"Look, Hojo," Kagome began, and once the first words were out, the rest seemed to tumble unstoppably after, "I'm really, really sorry for ditching you yesterday. I just – I just panicked I guess. I wasn't completely in my right zone. Can we make it up sometime? I heard that there's a dance on Saturday night. S-so, d'you want to go? I mean I know it's kinda weird, a girl asking a guy out, but…" She trailed off and was saved the embarrassment of having to say something to wrap it up by Hojo's smile.

"I'd love to go to the dance with you, Kagome," Hojo said.

At that moment, the teacher walked in and the pupils were forced to rush to their seats and greet him.

The day dragged on from that point and Kagome was unbelievably relieved when the bell that signified the end of the day rang and the class dissipated. Shortly thereafter, Kagome and her three friends were walking along on the sidewalk on their way to get an ice cream sundae.

"So, Kagome," Yuka said, rather diabolically. Kagome instantly sensed incoming 'girl talk', or discussion about Kagome's love life.

"Yeah, what?" she replied conversationally, albeit a little belligerently.

"I heard that you asked Hojo out," Yuka replied, narrowing her eyes manipulatively.

"So what if I did?"

"Does this mean you actually like the guy and are finally giving up on that other creeper?"

Kagome had never thought about it this way, but no matter how she tried to justify herself, she found herself in an unbreakable labyrinth of reason. Was she really getting over Inuyasha? There was a little flutter of hope in her mind, instantly followed by a sharp twinge of regret.

"Um… maybe," she said softly.

"Well," Ayumi ventured, "Saturday is tomorrow. I think we should help Kagome get ready for her date."

"Oh, you mean so she doesn't screw up again?" Eri asked.

"Exactly," Yuka confirmed, giving Kagome her 'I-have-a-plan-and-you-have-to-do-exactly-as-I-say' look.

* * *

Needless to say, Kagome felt over-prepared and completely under-confident when Saturday night arrived and Hojo showed up on her doorstep. 

"Hey, Kagome," he said, smiling brightly when she opened the door.

"Hi," she responded, already feeling completely foolish.

She didn't quite heed her mother's farewell as she and Hojo promenaded down the front walk.

"I was worried," Hojo began, in a chatty, conversational tone, "when you ran out of the ice cream shop, but I'm glad you're okay now."

"Yeah," Kagome smiled, wondering how dense Hojo could be, and why her face had flushed when he took her hand. She knew what her friends would say, and she had to say that she wasn't sure whether she agreed with them. Thus, she decided that she'd just try to enjoy the night and figure out her feelings when she had time alone.

* * *

As Kagome and Hojo stepped into the dance, she felt suddenly as though something was wrong. The feeling passed so quickly, she didn't quite register it, but she knew something had been there. Going against all her better judgement, she decided to stay out the night with Hojo, and, for once, not run out on him. And, even having gone against her better judgement, she was sure she'd had a good time when it was all over – too bad most of the night escaped her when she tried to recall it the next day.

* * *

Hojo smiled as he and Kagome flittered around the dance floor. She seemed to be having a good time, so he didn't worry too much. They stopped dancing after a few songs and Hojo left Kagome for a moment beside the dance floor as he went to get drinks. 

During this period of time, Kagome's friends took the liberty of approaching her.

"Hey, Kagome!" Yuka said in a conspiratorial tone, sidling up to her friend. "How's it going with Hojo?"

"I'm having a good time," Kagome chirruped, smiling brightly at her.

"Wow," Eri drawled, wandering over to stand beside Yuka, "she's in a good mood for once."

"I know, it's kinda creepy," Yuka looked at Kagome suspiciously.

"Stop it," Kagome said, sticking out her tongue jokingly. "I'm allowed to be happy once in awhile."

"Oh, hey, we should go," Eri tugged at Yuka's sleeve, "Hojo's coming back."

"Have a good time," Yuka chuckled as she and Eri walked away.

Kagome shook her head, as she saw Hojo walking toward her through the crowd.

As he reached her, he held out a plastic cup of punch to her. She noticed he had none for himself.

"Don't you want any?" she asked, puzzled.

"No, I'm fine," he replied, smiling.

She tipped back the contents of the glass, grateful for the refreshment. She thought it tasted a little off, but thought nothing of it as Hojo asked her if she wanted more. She said she would and off he went to get her a refill. As she watched him disappear into the crowd, she could have sworn her vision was a little blurry, and she almost felt thirstier than before she'd drunk the punch.

Hojo came back shortly with another glass and she drank that one a little slower. Again, he had nothing. After she'd finished her punch, they went out onto the dance floor again. Kagome found herself tripping more than she had been before.

When they stopped, they wandered over to the refreshments table and Kagome poured herself another glass of punch. Then another. And another. By the fourth one, she felt quite unsteady on her feet, and she and Hojo went to find a place to sit down.

Hojo found, after they'd been sitting for awhile, that Kagome was acting rather out of character. She'd been leaning on his shoulder, for one thing, and that didn't seem like a very Kagome-like mannerism. Then, before he had time to register what was going on, she looked up at him, a funny look in her eyes.

"Hojo," she whispered, "I really like you." Then she kissed him.

He didn't really know what to think, but somehow felt kind-of-sort-of-really happy – even though this really wasn't a Kagome-like thing to do. However, before he had time to do or say anything about it, she was passed out across his lap.

"Kagome?" he shook her gently. "Um… Kagome?"

'What do I do?' he frantically asked himself. 'Is she drunk? How did she get drunk? Was there something in that punch? What do I do?'

Luckily for Hojo, Yuka walked by. She saw him, gave an acknowledging nod –, and then did a double take.

"Oh my Gawd!" she exclaimed, seeing Kagome's state. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know!" he replied, and Yuka was surprised to hear a note of panic in Hojo's voice. "I think – I think she's drunk," Hojo told her, rather sheepishly.

"How did she get drunk?" Yuka demanded of him, sounding rather like his mother.

"Um… I think there was something in the punch. She had several glasses and then she said she felt kind of dizzy."

"Well, we can't take her home like this," Yuka said thoughtfully. "I'll phone her mother and tell her that Kagome is staying over at my house."

"Will that work?" Hojo asked cautiously.

"Of course it will," she replied, sounding as though she thought her idea foolproof. "Not much fazes her mom – although Kagome being passed out and drunk would – and besides, she really will be at my house. My parents are away for the weekend, so it'll be okay."

"Ah. Okay then," Hojo sounded relieved – that was good, meant he cared about Kagome (Yuka hoped).

* * *

Kagome woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a killer headache – not helped by the sun streaming in through a window right above her head. 

"Are you awake?" a voice thundered in her ears.

"Don't shout," Kagome whimpered, pressing her hands over her ears.

"I'm not shouting," the voice replied, quieter this time.

"Then why does it sound like you are?"

"Because you are hung over and I, being the good friend that I am, let you stay at my house and sleep in my bed. You really shouldn't be complaining," the voice that Kagome had begun to recognize as Yuka's reprimanded.

"Sorry," Kagome muttered irritably, sitting up and looking around, blinking furiously against the bright light. "Wait – did you just say I have a hangover?"

"Yes."

"Um… what exactly happened at the dance?"

"Someone spiked the punch – Eri heard some of the guys talking outside last night – and you happened to have six glasses of it, I think Hojo said."

"Oh," Kagome replied in a small voice. And then, as an afterthought, "Can I have an Aspirin or something?"

Yuka snorted and got up from where she was sitting on the floor next to the bed. Kagome heard her rustling in the bathroom next door, and then her friend reappeared with a small tablet and a glass of water.

"Um… Yuka?" Kagome asked after she'd swallowed the pill.

"Yes?"

"Did I do anything embarrassing last night?"

"Not that I saw, but I guess you'd have to ask Hojo."

Something gnawed at her, something she thought she should remember, but she ignored it. After all, if Yuka hadn't seen anything, it must not have been too bad.

* * *

Yuka and Kagome walked to the shrine later that day, Kagome's head still feeling rather tender, although not as bad as it had been that morning. Yuka left her at the front gate, and Kagome wandered up the walk alone. 

She found her grandfather alone, her mother and younger brother having gone out shopping. He was seemingly oblivious to everything, in the middle of some complicated prayer/ritual thing, waving vaguely in her direction when she greeted him. She took his inattentiveness as a product of his old age, and a sign that he wouldn't notice her properly if she yelled in his ear, and wandered up to her room. There, she collapsed dizzily on her bed, clasping a hand to her forehead as her headache returned, throbbing madly.

She wondered briefly what her mother would say if she found out Kagome had become inebriated at a dance that was supposedly 'chaperoned'. Although, somehow, she doubted that it would faze her mother much, as nothing much to date – for example, the whole 'visiting the feudal era and befriending/making enemies of demonic creatures' thing – had succeeded in doing so. On her better judgement, however, Kagome decided to keep the whole matter silent. She also decided to ask Hojo what had happened the night before – as soon as her headache subsided and the haze that still lingered in Kagome's mind had dissipated.

She lay back on her bed and was asleep before she had time to think any more about the issues at hand.

* * *

When Kagome's mother came home, she found her daughter fast asleep, her bedroom door wide open, and her belongings strewn thoughtlessly over the floor. She noted that this was rather unlike Kagome. However, she decided to dismiss this as a case of lost sleep, due to inevitable sleepover disorder.

* * *

When Kagome awoke, the sun was setting, and her headache seemed to be following. At least, she could focus on an object across the room without having to endure a fierce jab of pain just behind her eyes. She made her way downstairs to find her family patiently waiting at the dinner table with supper cooking on the stove. 

"Oh, there you are, sweetie," her mother said, smiling gently at her daughter. "You must have been really tired, but I figured you'd wake up if I put supper on."

"Um… yeah," Kagome replied weakly, trying and failing to keep a smile on her face as her headache worsened slightly.

"Oh, by the way," her mother continued, walking over to a little gift basket on the counter, "Hojo dropped by earlier and asked me to give this to you."

"Oh, okay," Kagome wandered over to where the gift basket was and picked it up, rejoicing, for once, over what was inside. She espied a variety of headache remedies, and immediately resolved to thank Hojo as profusely as she could upon their next meeting. She would have gone upstairs right then and there to see if she could fix her headache, if only her mother hadn't remarked that supper was ready. So, instead, she slid wearily into her chair at the table and hoped that the ingestion of food would help to hasten her recovery.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome awoke at the proper time, feeling refreshed and, joyfully, headache-free (thanks to the gift basket from Hojo). She wandered down to the kitchen and found Souta sitting at the kitchen table with his breakfast, plus another plate. 

"Ish fo yao," he mumbled, his mouth full.

"Pardon?" Kagome asked jokingly, sitting down next to her younger brother.

He swallowed. "It's for you. I made too much for just myself."

"Thanks, Souta," she beamed. She liked it when he wasn't a little pest.

* * *

Thanks to Souta making her breakfast, whether on purpose or by accident, Kagome actually made it to school on time. Then, her good feeling vanished mysteriously when she found Hojo waiting for her in the corner of the classroom. He had a rather odd look on his face as she approached him. 

"Hey, Kagome," he said, rather awkwardly, his face flushing slightly.

"Hey, Hojo," she replied, wondering why his reaction was as such.

"Um, Kagome…"

"Yeah?"

"What you said on Saturday night, did you mean it?"

She suddenly felt a gripping fear take hold. Her mouth dry, she asked, "Which thing that I said?"

"Um, you said that – you said that you really liked me and then – then you – er…" he trailed off helplessly.

Kagome felt she could guess what she did, and felt rather cornered as she made a split second decision.

"Although I was a little drunk at the dance, I can say that I meant what I said. I really do like you, Hojo." And in spite of herself, she smiled, and a flush rose in her cheeks. That was when she felt a sense of real hope, and real accomplishment – perhaps she was finally moving on.


End file.
